The trigeminal nerve is responsible for the innervation of the face, and therefore all the symptoms of its defeat are most often reflected on the face. Trigeminal neuritis occurs acutely in the form of paralysis of facial muscles on one side. There is a smoothing of the nasolabial folds, a distortion of the face, the corner of the mouth drops, the eyelid does not rise and the eye tears from the affected side. The patient's speech is distorted, he can constantly choke while eating, in the first hours of the development of the disease, slight pain is possible. The causes of neuritis are most often considered to be hypothermia, but in most cases the cause of the disease cannot be identified.
Neuralgia and neuritis. What's the Difference?
Trigeminal neuralgia, in contrast to neuritis, refers to one of the types of head and facial pain that is most common, it is characterized by severe painful attacks of pain on one side of the head and face, in which case there are no changes in the facial muscles. Most often, this disease affects the beautiful half of humanity aged 51 to 70 years. The causes of neuralgia are often hypothermia, allergic status, endocrine disorders and some psychogenic factors.
Post-traumatic neuritis. The main causes of occurrence.
Often trigeminal neuritis can be caused by trauma to the face or head, in which case a compression of the nerve root occurs and paralysis occurs. Peripheral post-traumatic neuritis is considered a frequent complication after injuries, dental procedures and surgical interventions on the jaw. According to statistics, such neuritis develops in 85% of all complicated cases.
Post-traumatic neuritis can occur:
- With jaw fractures (upper and lower);
- With incorrect performance of conduction anesthesia;
- With fractures of the base of the skull;
- With surgical interventions on the jaw;
- With improper prosthetics;
- With complex tooth extraction;
- In the presence of foreign bodies (implants, fillings) that injure the nerve trunk.
Trigeminal condition after injury
- The continuity of the nerve trunk is not broken.
- The nerve trunk is overgrown.
- The nerve trunk is restrained by bone fragments.
- The nerve trunk is torn.
Trigeminal neuritis. Diagnostics.
To establish a diagnosis, you need a correct and clear diagnosis of the levels of damage to the trigeminal nerve. To do this, you need:
- Neurological examination of the patient.
- Electroneurography.
- MRI of the eye orbits and paranasal sinuses.
- CT scan of the bones of the skull.
- CT scan of the brain.
Trigeminal neuritis. Symptoms
Standard post-traumatic neuritis is characterized by a violation of sensitivity in the area of innervation of one or several branches of the nerve, aching with enduring pain of various degrees of intensity, paresthesia. If the lower alveolar nerve is damaged, then the patient may experience slight motor impairment, sometimes pain may occur when clicking on the teeth. In some cases, thinning of the skin develops in the nerve lesion zone, a change in its color and edema is observed. In severe cases, patients complain of hair loss and atrophy of the masticatory muscles from the affected nerve.
Trigeminal neuritis. Treatment.
Treatment includes symptomatic, hormonal, anticonvulsant and anti-inflammatory therapy, as well as some conservative methods of treatment:
- Muscle and nerve stimulation.
- Acupuncture.
- Vitamins
- Homeopathic remedies.
- Physiotherapy.
The disease is subject to immediate diagnosis and adequate treatment, since complications such as ataxia or auditory nerve neuritis may appear . Treatment of the disease in this case will be very difficult.